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When the Grits Hit the Fan–cozy mystery with a touch of thriller
When the Grits Hit the Fan
by Maddie Day
There is a little initial background, setting the scene for small town Indiana with a country store/café, Pans ‘N Pancakes, that appeals to both tourists and locals. We meet many of the characters as described through the eyes of owner Robbie Jordan. Only a few chapters into When the Grits Hit the Fan, a crime is discovered. The storyline moves along well, as any good cozy mystery should, until about one-third of the way into the book. Then, hold on to your hat! The plot becomes twisted and tangled, the tension increases exponentially, and you won’t want to put this book down.
If you are a “foodie,” you will enjoy the culinary descriptions, but they at no time overpower the mystery. Recipes are a bonus at the end of the book, including one shared by Georgeanne Ross, the Original Grit Girl, whose ground corn products are highly sought out by chefs and restauranteurs across the country.
Interesting characters and setting, suspense, a little romance, food, and Indiana dialogue combine into a cozy mystery you won’t want to miss!
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: This is the third book in the Country Store Mystery Series, but it worked well for me as a standalone. I am looking forward to the next book in the series, Biscuits and Slashed Browns, but I was unable to locate the anticipated publication date.
Publication: March 28, 2017–Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
A lot of people my age mostly read on their tablets, but I liked the heft of a real book in my hands, another way I was an anachronism in my generation. The smell of the paper, the crack of the binding, even the cover art–all of it appealed to me.
As usually happened, the repetitive motion of physical work, whether removing rubble or preparing biscuit dough, freed up my mind to work through problems.
My California upbringing had not included the simple mesmerizing joy of watching white stuff fall from the sky. Whether a steady straight-down storm like this one or a howling blizzard, I never tired of gazing at it. And I’d seen all forms in my four years in Indiana. I put on the outside lights so the flakes glistened in the illumination like fairies dancing. A gust of wind made them twirl and swirl before returning to their steady descent.
Mother’s Day, Muffins, and Murder–a cozy teachers will love
Mother’s Day, Muffins, and Murder
by Sara Rosett
Mother’s Day, Muffins, and Murder is a thematic shoe-in for me, and it surpassed my expectations. The setting is Georgia, but the author grew up in and currently lives in Texas. The action occurs at an elementary school which is the unlikely scene of a murder. Except for the murder and mayhem, this could have been the elementary school I taught at for a few years in Leander, Texas. The details are perfect for a middle class school where parent participation is high, students wear an assigned color T-shirt for field day, and the Teacher Appreciation Week is five days of food, small gifts, and recognition for hard-working, appreciated teachers.
The main character is Ellie Avery, an Air Force wife, mother of two children, part-time organizing consultant, and very active volunteer at her children’s neighborhood school. The amiable Ellie finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. She tries not to actively involve herself, but others look to her for help because of previous associations with a murder. Later, someone takes the threat to her doorstep, potentially endangering Ellie and her children.
This mystery is a fun, “don’t put me down” kind of read. The plot has twists and turns that keep the reader engaged and wanting more. The characters are interesting and there is a subplot concerning a competing organizer in town which enhances the appeal. If you like cozy mysteries, you will love Mother’s Day, Muffins, and Murder.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #10 in the Ellie Avery Mystery Series, also called the Mom Zone Series. I enjoyed it as a standalone.
2. The book also includes “Organizing Tips for PTA Moms” placed at the end of some chapters so as not to be intrusive into the storyline. They are practical and are approved by this former teacher who also volunteered with my school’s Parent/Teacher Organization.
Publication: March 28, 2017–Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
“Yes, that is my favorite way to relax, supervising twenty-two eight-year-olds hyped up on sugar at eight in the morning.”
I wished the rest of the school year could be more like the end of the year. The end of the year–when the standardized tests were over–was when the kids got to do all the fun stuff, instead of studying for the standardized tests. Why couldn’t the kids do more hands-on activities like this throughout the year?
We rush through our days so quickly and have so many little rituals that we do, day in and day out, but then a moment like that last day of school comes along. It’s a milestone that makes a definite break in the continuum and emphasizes that one phase is ending and another beginning.
Double Up–witty cozy
Double Up
by Gretchen Archer
Davis Way is a former security officer and investigator for Bellissimo Casino and is currently a stay-at-home mom for twin baby girls. Blitz, Inc. buys up land in the same town for a competing casino and Davis’ home and livelihood are in jeopardy. To make it worse, Davis is convinced that it is her fault that the Bellissimo Casino is about to go under.
There are many humorous aspects to this story–both in situations and in characters. As always with books from the Davis Way Crime Caper Series, this cozy mystery is very witty with Archer frequently popping dialogue with one liners that Davis thinks, contrasting them with what she actually says. The plot moves quickly especially during the second half as extreme action kicks in. Think: explosions, auto theft, murder, decaying seafood, and dumpster diving. Two really quirky characters emerge: Bea, Davis’ ex-ex-mother-in-law, who is lacking in basic hygiene and good taste and takes physical action in her determination to set things right and “the House” which responds to voice suggestions by controlling Davis’ huge suite in a very frustrating way. All of this (and more) adds up to a fun book worth reading.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Humor, Mystery
Notes: #6 in Davis Way Crime Caper Series, but works as a standalone
Publication: March 21, 2017–Henery Press
Memorable Lines:
[Bea to Davis] “That’s one thing I like about Don Juan.” She took me into her confidence like I was her best girlfriend. “No back talking. ‘Course I don’t speak Italyish, so he could be back talking my ears off and I wouldn’t know it.”
If I’d been doing my job, I could have stopped it. Or at least slowed it down. At the bare minimum, we could have been prepared. To say I felt responsible was to say there were stars in the sky, the desert was hot, and Bill Gates had a little money in the bank.
Our daughters, who’d never known anything other than computer-generated, gender-neutral, max-volume broadcasts interrupting our lives via seventy hidden speakers followed by their parents yelling back, didn’t think a thing of it. One day they’d realize they lived in the world’s only home that spontaneously shrieked and yelled and demanded an explanation, but for now, they mostly hollered along. (“Aaagaah!” and “Gaahaah!”)
No Way Home–abundant suspense!
No Way Home
by Annette Dashofy
No Way Home combines elements of a cozy mystery with elements of a thriller, and the result is an excellent read. As a cozy, No Way Home’s main character is Zoe Chambers, a county EMS paramedic and Deputy Coroner, who gets involved in trying to solve a murder when a riderless horse returns to the stable she manages. She is also trying to help her friend Rose find her missing son Logan. Meanwhile, several young people have overdosed in her county, and Zoe’s boyfriend Pete, Chief of Police, is driven to find the dealer. In this book, there are all the components of a good cozy: a likable heroine, a love interest, and a fascinating mystery with lots of threads. In addition, we are exposed to Native American culture as found in the Four Corners area.
No Way Home is also a thriller, however. A crucial characteristic of a thriller is suspense. This book kept me interested and wanting more from start to finish and fearful of what might happen next. The book has two contrasting settings as it bounces back and forth from Pennsylvania to New Mexico in such a way that the reader wants to keep going with each plot thread in turn, a thread which is dangling just out of reach. It is a book you won’t put aside easily or for long.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery, General Fiction (Adult)
Notes: #5 in the Zoe Chambers Mystery Series, reads well as a standalone
Publication: March 14, 2017–Henery Press
Memorable Lines:
He had an easy smile, a hearty laugh, and a talent for putting everyone at ease, whether they agreed with his politics or not. In addition, Dale was always happy to help with chores even if it meant getting dirty. Not what Zoe had expected from a well-to-do politician.
He held the phone away from his ear. At Rose’s current decibel level, Pete could almost hear her from New Mexico without the device.
Every Trick in the Rook–fun mystery with an ingenious bird
Every Trick in the Rook
by Marty Wingate
If you are looking for a fun, engaging read—a good mystery, but nothing to keep you awake at night, look no further than Every Trick in the Rook. The bottom line is that I had a good time with this book. The main character Julia is predictably at odds with law enforcement as she both finds herself in bad situations not of her own doing and also pursues investigations putting herself in harm’s way.
I especially enjoyed meeting the young Tennyson and her trained rook, Alphie, who plays an important part in solving the mystery. I kept wanting Julia to help Tennyson’s mother find a good job, but since it was hinted at a few times, perhaps it will happen in the next novel. Every Trick in the Rook is the third book in the Birds of a Feather Mystery Series, but I didn’t feel I had missed anything by jumping into the series with this book.
The overarching theme of Every Trick in the Rook is obviously birds, but you don’t have to be an ornithologist to enjoy it. It has the typical small town feel of a cozy mystery with the added interest of a special setting, a small village that is part of Lord Fotheringill’s estate. Julia (Jools) wears many hats as she manages the Tourist Information Center and promotes the village through public relations efforts to draw tourists to the village for hiking, birding, and special events. she is the daughter of a famous ornithologist, a former Cambridge professor, and is therefore well acquainted with “all things bird.” She has a busy, happy life until her ex-husband, Nick, shows up unexpectedly in the village after a five year absence—dead. And so the mystery begins…
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Alibi for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: Part of a series but works well as a standalone
Publication: March 7, 2017—Alibi
Memorable Lines:
Their leaves had only just begun to unfurl, turning the wood into a shimmer of fluorescent green that glowed in the last of the sun that peeked out from beneath the clouds.
For the first half of my journey back to Smeaton, I dutifully slowed down every time I saw a warning for a speed camera.
I marveled at how easy it was these days to throw up a website and toss out a load of lies.
Blood and Circuses–the smell of the greasepaint, the roar of the crowd…and a murder
Blood and Circuses
by Kerry Greenwood
Blood and Circuses is my second foray into Kerry Greenwood’s Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. Phryne Fisher is recruited by some carnival workers to investigate mysterious problems with the circus they work for, a failing endeavor named Farrell’s. The mystery begins commonly enough, but as Phryne goes undercover as a bareback rider, she learns about the stratified and well ordered world of the circus. There, the trapeze artists have the most prestige, carnival workers are second class citizens, and Gypsies are low life.
Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, Sargeant Terence Grossmith, and Constable Tommy Harris are up to their necks with gangster warfare and the disturbing murder of a circus member known as both Christopher and Christine. The source of these crimes seems to connect with the troubles of the circus, but it is hard to discover just how they are related.
In the process of these investigations, the reader learns more of Phryne’s background–some of the things that helped form her character. Several moral issues are addressed: an audience’s hunger for disaster in the circus ring, the need of people to order their society in classes and then discriminate based on the labels they attach to each group, the disparagement of people who are different with the label of “freak,” and the emotions and needs of those born with a physically inconclusive gender. Phryne faces personal issues when she chooses to live in deprivation, giving up her creature comforts, her safety, and her status in the name of relieving her boredom and helping others.
Blood and Circuses is a convoluted mystery, but all of the plot lines are explained in the end. It is not just an exciting tale of adventure. There are philosophical elements which invite Miss Fisher and the reader to engage in a bit of self-examination without even a touch of preachiness.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Poisoned Pen Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery, Historical Fiction
Notes: 1. #6 in the series, but could be read as a standalone
2. some bad language and a number of sexual encounters, but the emotions are described more than the physical aspects of the encounters.
Publication: March 7, 2017–Poisoned Pen Press
Memorable Lines:
Sargeant Terence Grossmith was huge. His expanse of blue tunic was as wide as a tent. He had thinning brown hair and large limpid brown eyes, which seemed to hold an expression of such placid benevolence that hardened criminals had occasionally found themselves confessing to him out of a sense of sheer incongruity.
[speaking of Detective Inspector Jack Robinson]…always at the start of a case, he felt downhearted and tired. There was so much evil in the world. “O cursed spite! That ever I was born to set it right,” he quoted to himself. The Mechanics’ Institute English literature classes which his wife had taken him to, much against his will, had been very useful. A man could always rely on Shakespeare to hit the nail on the head. Robinson wondered how he had done without him.
Phryne speaking: “…what’s fascinating about the circus is the people. And I don’t expect you to like them, Dot. They aren’t respectable.” “That’s why you like them,” commented Dot. Phryne looked at her companion’s reflection in the mirror and grinned.
Bitter Harvest–second book in the series lives up to expectations
Bitter Harvest
by Wendy Tyson
Cozy mystery series frequently have themes–a tea shop, scrapbooking, dogs, etc. The best of these appeal to readers outside this narrow interest, perhaps even widening the reader’s horizons. The Greenhouse Mystery Series created by Wendy Tyson is a perfect example. Honestly, neither the title of the series or of the book I just read, Bitter Harvest, holds a particular attraction for me. I’ve done my fair share of mucking about in a large vegetable garden and have raised an assortment of farm animals. I am also a fan of organic vegetables. But, READ about them? In a mystery? Turns out the answer is a resounding double yes!
Bitter Harvest is a page turner as former Chicago lawyer Megan Sawyer returns to her roots in Winsome, Pennsylvania, to try to piece together a living from an organic farm, a café, and whatever else comes her way to make her farm a viable enterprise. The plot has multiple threads, but they all seem to center around Winsome’s first Oktoberfest. Don’t get too comfortable with the idea of small town friendliness, because a heated argument erupts at the café and Megan discovers evidence of a stalker looking down on her property–all in the first chapter. From there events move quickly as Megan’s grandmother discovers one of the town’s brewers is dead; no one is sure if it was an accident or murder. In Winsome, business and personal relationships swirl around like dust devils, never quite settling down.
The writing in Bitter Harvest is excellent. The setting varies from small town to farm and further afield as Megan tries to discover who is behind the crimes occurring in Winsome and what the motivation could possibly be. Megan is a war widow starting life again, but she still has to deal with a complicated past as she tries to understand why her mother left their family when she was eight years old. The characters are interesting, believable, and likable. The romantic attraction in the story is a handsome Scottish vet whose skills are invaluable in several crisis situations.
Wendy Tyson does a wonderful job of bringing the reader into Megan’s life. If you read the first book in the series, A Muddied Water, you get subtle reminders of events that occurred in that book. If you are jumping into the series with Bitter Harvest, you are quickly brought up to date without feeling like you just got a history lesson. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to the next one in the series, Seeds of Revenge, with projected publication in fall of 2017.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery, General Fiction (Adult)
Notes: part of a series, but works as a standalone
Publication: March 7, 2017–Henery Press
Memorable Lines:
Megan called to Sadie and Gunther. Gunther, better trained every day, came immediately and sat before her, the obedient livestock guardian dog. Sadie looked at her, sniffed a flower, peed next to a bush, and then trotted her way toward the house, stopping twice to investigate something interesting. For Sadie, obedient livestock guardian dog was clearly not a career aspiration.
“Trolls.” She handed the phone back to Emily. “That’s all they are. Sad, lonely people with nothing better to do than leave mean reviews and comments online. The web allows strangers to bask in the safety of cowardly anonymity. Hurtful, Emily–but not meaningful.”
The Case of the Curious Cook–good, but not recommended as a standalone
The Case of the Curious Cook
by Cathy Ace
The Case of the Curious Cook rather stumbled along for me until about halfway through. At that point the mystery took off and the characters gained new life. I enjoyed the occasional Briticism, the many Welsh references, and the view of upper crust life. I was particularly pleased with the conclusion of the book, giving a glimpse into the future for the characters as well as resolution to the several entwined mysteries. My reservations about The Case of the Curious Cook stem from my reading this book as a standalone. My enjoyment would have been much enhanced by a better introduction to the characters, which probably occurred in the first two books of the WISE Enquiries Agency Series.
The mystery centers around the murder of an artist by her brother, the unexplained and unwelcome donation of books, the discovery of miniatures, and strange occurrences at a retirement home. The plot and setting are excellent and the pace is quick in the last half of the book. I probably would like the main characters, a diverse group to be sure, if I felt I knew them better. I did appreciate their concern for each other and their efforts to work together respecting each other’s strengths.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Severn House for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: Should be read as part of the series
Publication: March 1, 2017–Severn House
Memorable Lines:
Even when he was cleansed, shaved, moisturized and dressed, he still felt grubby; that was how anger made him feel–as though he was rolling around in the filth where he’d been raised.
Your mid-sixties was a time when activities like working, traveling, and even hiking and hillwalking were still real possibilities, and when there were still enough years ahead of a person for them to make plans.
It became increasingly clear Mountain Ash House was filled with widows whose children were either non-existent (rare), living too far away to visit often (more likely), or happy to ignore them (too frequent).
You can’t take books to the dump. They aren’t something you just dispose of like so much rubbish. A book means something. It does. Someone wrote it, printed it, bound it–not to mention the ones who read them, held them and maybe cried into them. I love books I do, they’ve all had a life–like a person.
Dead in the Water–dive into a forensic crime mystery
Dead in the Water
by Annelise Ryan
Dead in the Water is the eighth mystery in the Mattie Winston Mystery Series. As I read, I suspected it was not a standalone, but I was unaware of the number of books preceding it. The author fills the reader in on the background of characters from previous books very effectively and efficiently.
Some readers refer to Dead in the Water as a cozy mystery. It deviates from the typical cozy mystery in its focus on forensic investigation of crimes, as is found in two popular television shows: the more current C.S.I. and the older series Quincy, M.E. Initially as I read the descriptive portions, I could hear echoes of my teenage self: “Eew! GROSS!” and I determined that I could not possibly rate it with 5/5 stars. As I read on, however, I became absorbed by the complex mystery, interesting characters, and complicated relationships. I even came to admire the way the author handles the depictions of dead bodies and autopsies–just graphic enough for visualization without unnecessary repetition or exploration of details.
Another different feature of this cozy mystery is that the main character, Mattie, is an employee of the medical examiner’s office. Her job description is “medico-legal death investigator.” That position gives her access to medical and investigative information that would normally be denied to the general public. It also gives her a reason to be involved in the discovery of so many crimes, as opposed to the typical, hapless female lead who unbelievably, repeatedly stumbles into crime scenes. Her job makes her able to work WITH the book’s love interest, Detective Steve Hurley, rather than have to work around him. In this book, the tension about flow of information, normally assigned to the heroine and the investigative romantic interest, is taken on by a reporter who has developed a rapport with the crime fighting duo.
By the end of Dead in the Water, I was sold on the merits of this book despite queasiness at its post-mortem perspective. The author even manages to introduce a touch of humor in the midst of death. Ryan is inclusive of a variety of non-traditional families in a way that feels like an attempt at being politically correct. Although the writing is good, with so many interesting mysteries waiting to be read, I will probably not read more books in this series. I do recommend it for those devotees of forensic science mysteries.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: mystery
Notes: forensic science emphasis
Publication: February 28, 2017–Kensington Press
Memorable Lines:
I’ve attended a lot of classes over the past year and a half in an effort to learn more about forensic science and crime scene investigation. Most of them were great, but a few classes were so boring they could’ve been listed on a death certificate as a cause of death.
There aren’t many avenues for positive intrinsic feedback in this line of work, but seeing justice done is one of them.
A jail cell is my mother’s worst nightmare, not because she’s afraid of being incarcerated, per se, but because she is a raging germophobe. In her mind, sitting in a jail cell is akin to eating out of a petri dish at the CDC.
Fatality by Firelight–writers’ retreat, readers’ delight
Fatality by Firelight
by Lynn Cahoon
Fatality by Firelight, the second book in the Cat Latimer Mystery Series, is appealing in so many ways, but primarily because it is an all round good mystery with twists and turns and abundant surprises. I had many interruptions during my reading of this book, but I was always anxious to return to the story and I always remembered where I had left off. Both signs of a good book.
The main character is Catherine (Cat) Latimer, a young, widowed, former professor. Her ex-husband’s apparent betrayal and death form an underlying mystery that ties in with strange current occurrences. Other important folks you’ll meet are Shauna, Cat’s longtime friend turned business partner and chef for the retreat, and Seth, Cat’s high school sweetheart who has entered her life again and also has a major role in the writers’ retreat.
The book deviates from a typical cozy in two ways. Although Cat does want to solve the mysteries that present themselves to her, that is not her main mission in life. She is a writer and tries to pay for upkeep on a Victorian mansion she inherited by hosting a weeklong writers’ retreat once a month. The other deviation is the male romantic interest in the book. Usually that role is filled by some type of legal professional–a sheriff, detective, private investigator, etc. No so in Fatality by Fire. There are attractive men in her life, but her legal connection comes in the form of her Uncle Pete, a likable and supportive college town police chief.
I recommend this book for its plot with mysteries on two levels, its snowy Colorado setting, some quirky characters who attend the retreat, and its writer’s theme which is appealing to readers. Fatality by Firelight delivers an interesting story, a strong female lead, and a dose of humor as a bonus.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: Second book in series, but worked well as a standalone
Publication: February 28, 2017–Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
No matter what kind of turmoil Cat was experiencing in her real life, typically writing made her forget everything and concentrate of the story.
[talking about a writer’s retreat] …the magic is in the process, not the accommodations or the distance you travel from home.
Okay, so this was all conjecture, but that was her job. As a fiction writer, she filled in holes, and this story had more holes than a pasta strainer.
“Well, you know what they say: if it doesn’t kill you, and you’re an author, you use it in a book.”
education pathways 